


Turn of the Wheel

by junko



Series: Written in the Scars (of Our Hearts) [37]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 13:38:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1071098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji considers Urahara's strange plans for the 'Quincy condom,' while, meanwhile, in the Soul Society, Byakuya is summoned to the Head Captain's division.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn of the Wheel

Renji decided he needed coffee if he was going to listen to some whacked-out, complicated science explanation from Urahara at this hour in the morning. Pulling himself up his feet with a grunt, he shuffled to the coffeemaker like an old man. Every muscle ached, and not in a good way, more like he’d strained something. He and Chad really had been going too hard yesterday. Renji hoped Chad wasn’t feeling this damaged. 

Out of the collection of mugs, Renji chose one that said something that made no sense to him, ‘If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.’ 

As he filled his cup, he listened to Ishida complain. “Why should I help?”

“Oh, well, I suppose you don’t have to,” Urahara said, sounding utterly baffled that someone wouldn’t be willing to be part of one of his crazy experiments. 

Tessai, who handed Renji the sugar bowl, said with a waggle of his eyebrows over those thick, square glasses, “For love.”

“Yes,” Urahara brightened. “It’s not like you’re actually helping shinigami, Mr. Ishida, it’s all in aid of a sweeping romance.”

Renji was just trying to decide if four spoonfuls of sugar were enough when he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He felt a little underdressed under the sudden scrutiny. Not realizing they were going to have company, he hadn’t bothered with a shirt. He only wore cotton drawstring pajamas. His hair was a tangled mess that fell in front of his eyes. He was sure all the bruises and scrapes from yesterday’s too rigorous training showed all over his body. “What?”

Dressed in his buttoned-up school uniform, Ishida sat at the shōten’s kitchen table, cradling his own, untouched, cup of coffee giving Renji a wide-eyed stare. “Is this about Ms. Rukia? Are you and she…?”

Renji shook his head and sipped his coffee. Ugh. It needed milk. Renji headed for the fridge and started rooting around. Over his shoulder, he explained, “She wouldn’t need protection from me. We’re both from the Rukongai. It’s the other Kuchiki.”

Had Ishida ever met Byakuya? Oh, yeah, for sure. He was there that first night that Renji and Byakuya came to retrieve Rukia. 

“The other Kuchiki? Isn’t he your captain? What the heck kind of military organization is the Gotei, anyway?” Ishida asked with a cluck of his tongue.

Renji had expected some kind of smartass response, but this…? Renji shut the fridge and turned around. “Gods, you’re such a fucking Quincy.”

“Now, now,” Urahara said raising his hands. “The problem, Mr. Ishida, is that if you don’t agree to help our lovelorn lieutenant, the traditional solution could very well kill him.”

There was another frustrated little huff, but then Ishida turned away from them and closed his eyes in resignation. “Oh, very well. Explain it again?”

Renji pulled out a chair and sat down. Tessai brought over the pot of coffee, sugar and milk. Urahara rubbed his hands together almost gleefully and said, “Okay, what we’re going to do is only temporary, a stop gap measure, if you will. I’ve done something like this before, but that situation was a lot more dire and it resulted in one of the party losing their powers completely for decades. We obviously don’t want that, so this will be a very slight, co-mingling.” Turning to Renji, he said, “You may experience a little distance from your zanpakuto, but time and training will fix that.”

“Does Byakuya need to be here?” Renji wondered.

“No,” Urahara said with a bright smile. “You can return to your captain fully-wrapped, as it were!”

Renji nodded, and sat back, sipping his sweet coffee, and tried to understand what the hell he was agreeing to. As Urahara explained the intricacies of the process, Renji mostly tuned out as he tried to sort out his head.

He’d been so exhausted after yesterday’s bout with Chad that he’d fallen asleep in the sand of the training ground. He’d only woken up long enough to shower off the sweat and grit and collapse in his bedroll.

There’d been little talk about the fight he’d missed, which was probably for the best. Renji didn’t want to know if anyone had gotten injured while he snoozed safe underground. Before Ishida had arrived, Renji’d heard a little bit of hushed whispering about a strange, sudden retreat by the enemy and something about some guy named Shinji joining the fight and how that was ‘a good sign.’ At least there didn’t seem to be anyone in the recovery rooms.

Zabimaru grumbled, echoing Renji’s mood.

There was no doubt in Renji’s mind that they could have fought. Renji and Zabimaru had gotten up after taking much worse beatings. Sure, sparring with Chad had done him in, but… if he’d really needed to, he could have pushed through. 

This fight, though… there was something seriously demoralizing about it. Renji wondered if the problem was Ichigo. After that blue-haired freak knocked him back, the kid hadn’t found his feet yet. It was hard to see a guy like him flounder, especially when Ichigo didn’t seem to fight nearly as well when there wasn’t a friend to save, when the goal was a nebulous ‘stop Aizen.’

And there’d been no easy wins.

Renji filled up his cup again, and tried listening more closely to Urahara’s lecture. Ishida seemed to be paying close attention, at least. He interjected smart-sounding questions that Urahara seemed to approve of. They were having their own little science love fest.

Having finished whatever cleaning he’d been doing, Tessai pulled up a chair and joined them at the table. Sitting nearly elbow to elbow with Renji, it was hard for Renji not to sense the elusive spiritual pressure that always swirled around Tessai, like curling wisps of incense smoke.

This guy. 

He was the real deal. Like Urahara, Tessai seemed determined to try to throw a person off the scent by looking like a doofus with that handlebar mustache, thick glasses, and a penchant for wearing too tight muscle shirts like some kind of ginormous hustler.

Rumor was, he could stop time.

Fucking let Tessai go head to head with Aizen in a kido fight, why don’t they? Renji wasn’t even sure who he’d put money on. Hell, tag team Tessai and Urahara, and Renji figured they’d have knots tied around Aizen before Aizen could even start chanting Bakudo number one.

Yet, they never sent Tessai in to any fight as far as Renji could figure. He’d thought maybe it was because of the whole stopping time thing. The guy was a fugitive for pulling that stunt. But, then so was Urahara, and he’d just waded into the thick of things last night.

So, it wasn’t because they were scared of being caught. If they were, they’d have stayed well out of things long before this.

“You look upset, lieutenant,” Urahara said. “Is something in particular about the procedure bothering you?”

Renji glanced at Tessai. He really wanted to ask, ‘What’s his problem? Why doesn’t he save us all the grief and stop time and teleport Aizen’s ass to jail?’ But, instead, Renji just shook his head. “Honestly, I haven’t been tracking this very well.”

“Oh, should I start again?”

Renji and Ishida simultaneously shouted, “No!”

#

The sound of running feet on the portico had Byakuya glancing up from the promotion paperwork he’d just finished. A breathless voice at the door, said, “Taicho, the Kenpachi is at the gate.”

Kenpachi? 

Byakuya took a moment to put away his brush and cap the ink, but he stood. “Does he say what he wants with us?”

“He’s asking to talk to you, sir. Well… bellowing at the gate, more like.”

In a moment, Byakuya stood atop the Division’s walls and looked down on where Kenpachi Zaraki stood in the street. The normally busy boulevard had emptied, except for a few brave souls who peeked around food carts and through shuttered windows nervously. The Sixth Division soldiers who guarded the gate looked a bit pale to be facing down the Kenpachi, but they held their ground, hands on the grips of the zanpakuto. 

Yachiru, who was on her usual perch on Kenpachi’s shoulders, waved happily when she saw him, “Hiya, Bya-boo!”

Kenpachi grunted and looked up, his hands on his hips. “There you are. Did you get the report? Aizen’s freaks got the drop on us again. Want to go watch the film at the Twelfth or do I got to go by myself?”

“I’m on my way.”

But, before Byakuya could move toward the stairs, a Hell Butterfly appeared. He glanced down to see Kenpachi had received one as well. They shared a look. What could this mean?

The head captain’s gravelly voice announced, “Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi, report to the First Division.”

Kenpachi summed up Byakuya’s feelings precisely when he growled, “Nobody better have died or I’ll fucking kill them.”

#

Renji stood under the warm blast of the shower’s water and thought about what they were about to do. Urahara seemed fairly convinced this wouldn’t hurt… much. But, Renji wasn’t really worried about that part of it. Physical pain didn’t scare him in the least. He knew he could withstand a lot. 

It was the other thing.

 _You cool with this?_ Renji asked Zabimaru. _You and me, we’re more important than me and him, you know._

 _This is not the first time the stray dog willingly puts on a collar for his master,_ the baboon voice growled.

_The fuck? You’re sure changing your tune! I thought you liked Byakuya._

_Have you become a rich man’s pet?_ Hissed the snake-tail.

“You’re starting to piss me off,” Renji said out loud, twisting the water faucets off. Sliding the door open, he reached around until his hand closed on a towel. He pulled it in and rubbed down his body. “What’s this about, all of a sudden, huh? I know you don’t really feel like that or you’ve said something before. So, what’s really going on? You scared or something?”

There was a snarling hiss.

“Oh, I get it,” Renji laughed. “You can call me a coward, but I can’t do the same back? Look, if you’re chicken, fine. I’ll tell them ‘no.’ But, I have faith in you. You and me, we’re always stronger than anyone thinks we are. Anyway, you heard the man, it’s only temporary.”

There was a little grumbling, but Zabimaru settled down.

Renji dried his hair and tossed the towel over the top of the shower doors. He stepped out onto the tile floor. Using his hand he wiped the mirror clear enough so that he could see to run a comb through his hair and check if his sideburns needed a trim. He was determined to leave this gigai in as good a shape as he found it. Though, looking at all the bruises, it did seem a little worse for wear. He wondered if Urahara would charge him for those.

“Listen,” he told his reflection as he found the shaving things, twisted his hair back out of the way, and started lathering up. “I’m serious. I won’t hurt you just to help Byakuya out. He’s got enough power without us having to weaken ourselves. I mean, think about this irony, why don’t you? He’s strong enough to step on our throats, and he still needs us to roll over? Ain’t that a funny thought? We always wanted to bring him down. We could just let this thing do it… slowly.”

 _That’s not a fair fight,_ Zabimaru hissed.

“Yeah, but is it fair if he hobbles us again?”

The baboon growled, _What if this makes us stronger?_

“You mean like with Sode no Shirayuki and all her fancy techniques? That’s was I was first figuring before you got cold feet on me. That maybe we take a setback, a hard knock on the chin, and we come out the better for it, like we always do.”

There was a rumble of thoughtful consideration.

 _So…_ the snake tail hissed, _we do this for us?_

Having finished shaving, Renji wiped off his face. It stung like a slap. Steam had obscured the face in the mirror, but a ghostly image remained, a smear of red, like blood, and black, hard lines. “Yes, for us. To get stronger. I love him, but not to the expense of myself.”

_Then we are agreed._

#

Neither Byakuya nor Kenpachi had said much on the trip to the First Division. Yachiru, on the other hand, had managed to chatter through all of their fears. What if baldy died, how would Yumi cope? What if Yumi died and cueball had to go on by himself? What if they were both dead? 

And what about Renji? What about Rukia?

That last two had been like stabs of ice into Byakuya’s veins.

“Ah, for fuck sake,” Kenpachi said finally. “You trying to do my head in, or what?” But, before Yachiru could say anything more, Kenpachi lifted her from his shoulders and set her gently on the street. He knelt down and pointed to a street vendor that advertised sweet treats. He pulled a few coins from the pockets of his ragged hakama and handed them to her. “Park yourself over there, why don’t you? I’ll collect you when we find out what’s going on.”

She clasped the coins. “Treats!”

Byakuya watched her scamper off. “She’ll only follow us.”

“No shit, genius,” Kenpachi said. Wiping his hands on his powerful thighs, he stood up. “I’m counting on that. You think I could fucking find this street again if my life depended on it?”

Kenpachi’s sense of direction was notoriously bad. Byakuya, however, decided not to comment.

“I just needed some peace and quiet,” Kenpachi said. But, he stood for a moment, watching Yachiru trying to decide on a favorite to buy. “You don’t really think the Old Man is making us drag our asses all the way up the hill just to collect bodies, do you? And, anyway, how does that work? If they died over there, are they coming back here, or what?”

Since everyone in question was from the Rukongai, Byakuya shook his head. “They’d be reincarnated as human.”

“Wheel of life, huh?” Kenpachi turned away and started back toward the First. 

Byakuya nodded and fell into step beside him. “In answer to your first question, my opinion is no. I don’t believe the Head Captain to be that sentimental. My father died in action, in the field, and the report was simple and straightforward, delivered by butterfly.”

“So, you think they’ve been captured?”

Now that was a possibility Byakuya hadn’t considered. But, he shook his head. “Your soldiers and mine would rather die than be taken.”

Kenpachi seemed to consider this for a long time. Then, he nodded, “True. So, what the fuck you think the Old Man wants with us?”

Could it be time for them to enter the fight already? It seemed too soon and too uncoordinated. Byakuya would’ve hope that he and the Kenpachi would be a final defense, but perhaps the head captain planned to go in strong? “We’ll soon find out.”

Without Yachiru’s chatter, they kept their own council the rest of the way to the Division. The large doors parted for them, and together they strode into the great hall where Head Captain Yamamoto sat on his dais, leaning on Ryūjin Jakka as always. Byakuya was surprised to see Captain Ukitake there as well.

“It seems the human girl was taken captive,” Yamamoto said. “She left the Thirteenth Division’s senkaimon and didn’t arrive on the other side.”

Ukitake, at the heart of another problem? How curious.

“What’s this got to do with us?” Kenpachi demanded.

“Nothing,” the head captain said sharply. But, he pointed a gnarled, bent finger at Byakuya, “But your lot is going to want to rush after her.”

His lot? 

“So I’m sending two of my strongest captains to escort them back. There will be no insubordination tolerated this time. You are authorized to use lethal force, if necessary. You will wait in the Precipice World for my signal.”

Kenpachi smiled. “Heh, if it means fighting Ichigo again, I’m in.”

“There will be no fight,” Byakuya insisted. “My soldier will obey orders.”

The Head Captain snorted, and struck the ground authoritatively with Ryūjin Jakka. “See that they do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, of course, to Josey, who continues to be an awesome friend, beta reader, general cheerleader, and typo-spotter extraordinaire.
> 
> I'm considering ending this series here and starting a new one under another name. As you see, this ends at a very obvious spot in canon, so it seems like it might be a good time for a switch. Thank you ALL for continuing to read this never-ending saga. I appreciate every hit, kudo, and comment! 
> 
> See you in the new series.... 'Senbonzakura's Song.' The first in the new series can be found here: <http://archiveofourown.org/works/1081793>
> 
> THANK YOU ALL!!


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